Stories in Stone, Reign of Night
by TheDarkRabbit
Summary: The face of Equestria has changed dramatically. The Lunar Republic emerged from the War of Night victorious over the forces of Equestria and the rest of the world. That was a thousand years ago. The impact of this darkened past had great consequences on the future. With Nightmare Moon and the Five Beasts ruling over this new world, what impact would it have on the stories we all kn


Prologue,  
"Cruel moon, bring the end..."

Time has been called many things. Some say it is a straight line, unchanging, unfaltering in its steady progression through the ages. Some say it is like a circle, everything that has happened before will happen again like a spinning wheel. It has even been called a big ball of , timey, whimey,... stuff. While I do not profess to understand the last one, I do know what time really is.

Time is a river.

It has a beginning, and it has an end, though it is what happens between those points that is important. The water is time a rolling mass of choices, they can either branch out and widen the banks the more of them are made, or narrow to a stream when there is no choice.

There are changes in the currents as well where some choices will send the water in two different directions, only for the change to sort itself out on the far side of the obstruction in the river. With enough time, even these small changes will be worn down and erode away by the unrelenting flow until one questions if any choice had ever even been made at all.

Then there are the big choices. The ones that don't just change what dress you wore that day, or if you called in sick or not, or even if you decided to to side with one group or another in a war. There are choices that will alter the flow of time completely, causing the river to split and flow another direction.

Sometimes these choices will end the flow of time prematurely, dead ending into a destination far short of what the original course was going to be. Some times however this new river of time flows on just as long or longer than the main branch before reaching it's end, sometimes it even rejoins the first time line further along it's path.

Splits like this do not happen often. They cannot, or time would be spread so thin it would be more like an ocean than a river. But sometimes a choice is so drastic, that time itself cannot help but to diverge, even when the choice is something as small as choosing love, or choosing duty.

That choice was presented to one stallion at a point in his life. He had served loyally and found love in who he served after many shared trials and tribulations. He had friends who would die for him and who he would die for as well, who would follow him no matter his choice.

Fate offered him a cruel choice. To save the lands he was sworn to protect from a nightmare eternal he needed to betray his love. His other choice was to let the world fall to darkness so he may remain at her side.

You are likely familiar with the first choice. Jer'rahd Kaisur, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty sided with the Goddess of the Sun, Princess Celestia to defeat The Goddess of the Moon, Princess Luna who had turned into Nightmare Moon by a lust for power and supposed jealousy of the Sun Princess. Nightmare Moon was sealed away and her love and his friends followed her into imprisonment.

That is where the river splits, that is where time diverged.

In this course of the river, Jer'rahd Kaisur looked up into the eyes of Nightmare Moon while he and Princess Celestia stood on the dais in the Royal Garden and did not see anger, grief, or sadness in them. He saw relief, joy, and love. When Princess Celestia saw those eyes she moved quickly to protect herself from the choice that was made.

Before she could even feel her magic power build she felt the cold steel of the Waning Moon erupting through her chest as the blade tore through her.

The sun goddess's fall spelled the end of the reign of Canterlot. Before her body had even cooled on the marble, Canterlot had fallen to the Lunar Republic. Many died that day, and many more were imprisoned or enslaved.

The other nations of course, fought back as best they could, but against Nightmare Moon and the Five Beasts of the Moon they might as well have been foals trying to hold back the sea.

The Harpies, The Griffons, and the Diamond Dogs were nearly wiped out completely within the first year. Even today only a hoof full remain of each of the races. The Dragons were hunted down and killed off to a whelp until the only dragon remaining in the world was the Bearer of Laughter and the eggs that remained in Canterlot and Winnysor.

In those dark years the remaining Five Beasts of the Moon were granted the same powers as their leaders and became an even more feared force across the world. When the last opposing forces against her fell, Nightmare Moon declared herself Empress of the world. She controlled both the sun, the moon , and five of the most dangerous creatures ever to walk the lands, none were foolish enough to stand before her. Those that tried were made an example of, very few examples were needed.

This is not to say that it was all bad. Though the iron hoof of the new Empress was strict, it was also just, no one was punished without reason, and races that had nearly been destroyed were brought back from the brink of extinction. Half Dragons flourished, as did the wandering tribes of the Elk and the even rarer Windigo,Snow Ponies, and River Ponies.

The Zebra too found new prosperity under the rule of the Empress and the Bearer of the Element of Compassion. The stigma of the untouchables was removed and equality among genders became a way of life in the zebra lands. The whole country became the leader in the world for medical knowledge and discovery.

All of this was before my time however. In my age a curse has gripped the world and created tensions in places where none existed before. A new lower class has emerged despite the Empress's wishes and the best doctors greatest efforts.

Foals are growing up to adult hood with out receiving their cutie marks in record numbers in recent years in all races that gain cutie marks. They are called blank flanks, talentless, and soulless, the term adopted by most is the cursed. At the same time the stars in the night sky are fading out, vanishing into nothing. Many believe there is a connection, many see it as the end of all things.

I have been studying for years to try and find a cure, to try and find the cause for this.

My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am the First Student of Empress Nightmare Moon and servant of the House of Loyalty.

I am one of the cursed.

TDR

Presents

Stories in Stone,

Reign of Night


End file.
